Rattling Sabers

Some people espouse a creed of "My Nation Right or Wrong".  That sort of belief enables Dictators, Tyrants and needless wars.

Clearly as humans we have an obligation to treat each other with respect and dignity.  This includes all people.  Now of course we have a circle that effectively includes those who are closest to us, meaning our family and our community.  However we still need to exercise independent judgement and support what is right.

Now, in the concept of modern statehood, there is a fundamental conflict.  People originally banded together for mutual support and defense.

Support to build things like infrastructure, such as irrigation canals, and defense against those who would seize the fruits of that labor.

While a lot of complexity has been added to the modern state, the fundamental purposes are still the same.  It either provides for the common support or it provides for the common defense.

Now we live in an age where that common defense has been extended to defending certain allies who in turn promise to defend us.  However, one can look at our growing conflicts and ask how do they help with our defense.

In the middle east, we have become entangled in a scenario where the welfare of this country seems hardly impacted.  Yes, they have terrorists there, but is what we are doing reducing the threat of terrorism or increasing it?  I'm not defending the members of ISIS or the Taliban or Assad's forces, but I'm not sure the other side is much better.  It just seems that while the names have changed we are repeating the same sort of pursuits that the colonial powers did when they were expanding, using local conflicts to further their economic interests.  We are in fact protecting the oil more than anything else.

In Korea, we of course have decided that North Korea should have a nuclear weapon, although they do and if they do they shouldn't have a delivery system that can reach us, but they might.

This does seem to be more aligned with our defense interests and our self preservation interests, although what we are doing now may actually be escalating the problem.  Unfortunately, we may be looking at a situation where the two people involved are the least qualified in temperament and common sense to be in charge.

No one wins a nuclear exchange.  Let me repeat that. 

No one wins a nuclear exchange.